Alexandr “Sascha” Vondra is one of the Czech Republic’s most popular statesmen and diplomats, partly because he took part in the struggle against the Communist system and was imprisoned for his views.

For his activities advocating human rights, democracy and international understanding he has received many foreign awards, including the National Endowment for Democracy Medal and Polish and Latvian state honours. He is now Czech Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs.

In a letter to Czech Falun Gong Association from the 4th of October, 2007, he states:

“Freedom of conscience and belief is a cornerstone of a free society. China can never be equal to developed countries until it is able to assume responsibility for human rights. It is the human rights which have been the cornerstone of international law since Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I would also like to declare my solidarity with persecuted Falun Gong practitioners, especially today, when due to China’s growing economy less and less attention is paid to systematic human rights abuses in China.”